Opel began producing automobiles 125 years ago and achieved its first successes with models such as the 4/8 hp “Doktorwagen”. From the outset, the manufacturer was committed to making mobility possible for a large section of the population. The turning point came in 1924, exactly 100 years ago, when Opel introduced large-scale production using assembly line technology. The first car to roll off the production line in Germany in 1924 was the Opel 4/12 HP “Laubfrosch”, painted green.
The Opel 4/12 HP made individual mobility affordable
With the new model, Opel revolutionized the country’s automotive industry. Thanks to its highly efficient production, prices fell and individual mobility on four wheels became affordable for everyone for the first time. From May 1924 to June 1931, around 120,000 units of the Opel 4 PS were produced.
Opel’s pioneering role in small, affordable, and innovative cars is now carried on by the Corsa. Since its launch over 40 years ago, it has brought the most advanced technologies to the small car segment, generation after generation, which motorists usually only know from higher vehicle classes. As a “pioneer of electric cars”, the Corsa 2019 is the first Opel model to initiate the brand’s electric transition and has become a bestseller.
Since then, Opel has consistently electrified its entire product range and this year the manufacturer will offer at least one electric variant of every car. However, 100 years ago, Opel laid the foundation for modern and efficient series production with the introduction of assembly line technology and the Opel 4/12 HP.
The Opel 4/12 HP broke with conventions from the start, in 1924. Instead of being large and black like most models, it was presented as a small and robust vehicle in a green color. The car was able to offer numerous innovations, including a four-cylinder monobloc engine with directly flanged gearbox, removable cylinder covers, oil pump lubrication, multi-plate steel clutch, adjustable windshield and steel disc wheels.
Like the wheels, the vehicle’s frame was also made of pressed steel. The rest of the steel and wood body was on top. Its one-liter inline four-cylinder accelerated the small car to a top speed of 60 km/h and reached a sustained speed of a good 50 km/h in third gear.
The Opel 4/12’s heir is undoubtedly the Opel Corsa bestseller, a car for all occasions and for all buyer groups. Not for nothing has it been the most popular small car in Germany in recent years. The Corsa impresses with its distinctive design that includes the Opel Vizor logo, space for five people and technologies that make every journey easier and more comfortable.